Doron Reuveni, CEO and co-founder, uTest, Southboro

Sunday

Mar 24, 2013 at 6:00 AM

First established in 2007, uTest launched its first product the following year. The company uses a network of 70,000 testers to test mobile phone applications before they are released to consumers. The company's client list includes major players in technology, like Google, Box.net and Trulia; media companies like USA Today, MSNBC and BBC; and retailers like Amazon, Loreal and Rolex. The company has 120 full-time employees, is headquartered in Southboro and has offices in Cambridge; Seattle; San Mateo, Calif.; and Warsaw, Poland.

I understand you are a native of Israel. What brought you to Central Massachusetts?

"I came here about 16 years ago, as a software developer. It was a great opportunity to relocate to the U.S."

What does your company do?

"We provide in the wild testing of software, with real people and real-world devices. We look at the quality of the software, and look at the functionality, security, load and localization. Load is making sure that an application is able to handle the demand, and localization is making sure that the software is going to work in the country where it is released."

How did you come to form uTest? What were you doing before?

"I was working as a software developer, and I had this opportunity to build this company, and I transitioned from developing to understanding the marketing and sales side of business. I think there are two types of CEOs — productivity-based, and sales-based. I'm still highly technical, but I'm a pretty good blend of both."

What was the "ah-ha" moment when you realized the company was going to make it?

"There was no single moment, but there were a few things that come to mind. First, we had gotten some really good traction with Google, and I thought, 'If someone like Google decides that we're good, then this company is going to win.' It gave me a lot of confidence.

"The second thing was when we started attracting customers that were not software companies. When we started attracting retailers like Amazon and Loreal and media companies like MSNBC, it made me realize that our capabilities far exceed just what software companies need. Anyone who develops an app, whether for mobile or the Web, can use us."

How does real-world testing work?

"A customer uploads what he wants tested and the application. It is automatically distributed to the testers who meet his criteria, and then the testing begins. The customer is able to follow the testing in real time, and can then decide what he wants to fix. He can then re-submit his app for re-testing, and then he releases it.

"Our work protects his brand, his customers and his users. We answer the question: 'How do you make sure that you make an app that users and customers love?' "

Your company was just named the eighth most promising company in the world by Forbes magazine. What is it about your company that made it attractive to the judges?

"The judges looked at several criteria, including actual execution: How much growth there has been and how fast it has been? They look at how capable the management team is, and they look at the market size. To be really successful, you have to be in a really big market, and ours is a $53 billion market.

"They also look for companies that innovate and revolutionize the market. We do that for the go-to market process, the business process and the business model."

How do you find 70,000 professional testers, and do you pay them?

"We are really a community company, and we spend time identifying good testers. And there is a social network for testers and test engineers, and they refer each other.

"Yes, we pay our testers for performed work. For some, it is an additional job, and for some it is a full-time job. About one-third of our testers are in North America, one-third are in Europe, and one-third are in Asia-Pacific, with a few percent of our testers in other countries."

You and 20,000 other people will be running from Hopkinton to Boston next month. How long have you been running, and what made you decide to run marathons?

"I have always run. It refreshes my mind from the everyday type of work. As a kid I would look at the Boston Marathon, and about eight years ago I signed up with Dana Farber and raised the money. I have since qualified on time, and will be doing my ninth one. My wife started running it too. This year is her third, but I said that I plan to retire after my 10th, so she can have it all to herself."